St. Patrick's parade

So we made a quick run up to New Orleans to have dinner with Chili Bill and had a great time, had some oysters and barbecue and did some shopping. NO was crowded and noisy as ever (in the middle of celebrating St. Patrick's Day)- but life in New Iberia is quiet and rural and we're sort of getting used to that. The boat is coming along nicely. We painted the hold and moved the generator and compressor and a lot of other stuff down there so we could clear the main deck as a work space. The guy who owns the two tugboats next to mine is hooking me up with mechanics and advice, which is really helpful and we will start on the engine Monday. Still tons of things to do, but it all seems to be under control and pretty straightforward and it's all like playing with a huge erector set. I'm trying to keep all the systems as simple as possible so I can build them myself and fix them when they fall apart. The plumbing about half set up, I filled up my water tanks with 1500 gls and now the stern is sitting low and the bow is way up, so soon I'll have to fill the fuel tanks to level her off. It will still be months before we push off, but it's all calming down and easy going now that I'm out of that boatyard and John and I just go to work every day and do whatever we feel like that day.